Terrill, an engineer who has designed weapons systems for the military, says he is targeting the people who are causing trouble, not the ones trying to get ahead. He has no problem with those people. In fact, he says, he has employed about 70 men from the shelter at his bar over the years.
But overall, he says, the shelter is doing more harm than good. He believes the nonprofit keeps it on Peachtree just to keep the issue of homelessness in people's faces.
"It needs to go," he said.
Terrill said he consulted the police before rolling out his robot about six months ago. At first, he wanted to arm it with a stun gun or paint gun. "But they said if I shot someone I could technically be charged with assault," he said.
Meanwhile, back at home, Terrill has worked up plans for a Bum Bot 3000.
This model, he said, would used compressed air to shoot netting at people who refused to move on. But he's afraid that, too, could land him in trouble.
"I'd be in jail faster than the bums would," he said. Anyway, he added, "I'm not into capture. I'm into dispersal."
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richard.fausset@latimes.com
